Amtrak Vacations
Jazz Blues and Rock 'n' Roll Roundtrip from New York
Eleven-day roundtrip Amtrak journey from New York through Chicago, Memphis, Orleans
11 daysfrom $1,429
36% rail
Amtrak Vacations · Independent rail vacation
Jazz Blues and Rock 'n' Roll Roundtrip from Boston
Eleven-day roundtrip Amtrak journey from Boston through Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans
Amtrak Vacations runs this eleven-day roundtrip rail vacation starting and ending in Boston, with stops in Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans. The trip opens with an overnight ride on the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, where two days include a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tour and a dinner at a popular restaurant. The City of New Orleans train then carries travelers overnight to Memphis for two nights, including a narrated city tour that stops at Graceland, Sun Studio, and the Meditation Garden. From Memphis the train continues to New Orleans for three nights, highlighted by a jazz brunch at a French Quarter restaurant and a paddlewheel Battlefield Cruise. The return trip retraces the route on the Crescent and Northeast Regional trains back to Boston. With two to three nights booked in each city, the pace is relaxed rather than rushed, and the trip suits independent travelers comfortable handling their own hotel check-ins and station transfers between the included sightseeing.
What to know before you look closer
- Only two meals are included across the eleven days, a dinner in Chicago and a jazz brunch in New Orleans; other meals are on your own.
- Several transitions are unescorted: you travel to the station on your own before boarding each connecting train (Lake Shore Limited, City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Northeast Regional).
- The overnight Amtrak legs are booked in Coach class seating, not a private sleeper cabin.
Day by day
- Day 1overnight: onboard Amtrak
Overnight Onboard Amtrak
Today board Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited in Boston for your trip to Chicago!
- Day 2overnight: Chicago
Chicago, IL
Welcome to Chicago! Explore the Windy City on a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tour, visiting the city's top attractions at your leisure.
- Day 3overnight: Chicago
Chicago, IL
Continue your Chicago sightseeing, stopping by the Shedd Aquarium, Millennium Park, and Chicago's Navy Pier. Dinner this evening at a popular restaurant is included.
- Day 4overnight: onboard Amtrak
Overnight Onboard Amtrak
Travel to Chicago's Union Station and board Amtrak's City of New Orleans for a relaxing overnight trip down to Memphis, through the heart of the nation's musical heritage.
- Day 5overnight: Memphis
Memphis, TN
After arriving in Memphis this morning, travel to your hotel and check in. Free time to explore Beale Street or the Peabody Hotel's famous duck parade.
- Day 6overnight: Memphis
Memphis, TN
Enjoy a narrated tour of Memphis, including the iconic Graceland, downtown, the Mississippi, Beale Street, Sun Studios, and the Meditation Garden.
- Day 7overnight: New Orleans
Memphis to New Orleans
Travel on your own to the station and board Amtrak to New Orleans, taking in the Southern scenery through Mississippi. Travel to your hotel upon arrival.
- Day 8overnight: New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Start the day with a jazz brunch at a famous French Quarter restaurant. Set off on your sightseeing tour of New Orleans: historic Jackson Square, the eerie "Cities of the Dead" cemeteries, and Bayou St. John.
- Day 9overnight: New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Enjoy a Battlefield Cruise on the outside deck of an old-fashioned paddlewheel boat, taking in the French Quarter and the Port of New Orleans with narration on landmarks and history, disembarking at the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
- Day 10overnight: onboard Amtrak
Overnight Onboard Amtrak
Board Amtrak for your trip back to Boston, reflecting on your Jazz, Blues, and Rock 'n' Roll journey.
- Day 11
Your Journey Ends in Boston
Journey concludes in Boston.
The moments this trip is built around
- Day 1Boards Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited in Boston for an overnight trip to Chicago.
- Day 6A narrated tour of Memphis takes in Graceland, downtown, the Mississippi, Beale Street, Sun Studios, and the Meditation Garden.
- Day 8A jazz brunch at a French Quarter restaurant, followed by a sightseeing tour of Jackson Square, the "Cities of the Dead" cemeteries, and Bayou St. John.
- Day 9A Battlefield Cruise on the outside deck of a paddlewheel boat disembarks at the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.
Included
- Roundtrip Amtrak® in Coach accommodations from Boston to Chicago; Chicago to Memphis; Memphis to New Orleans; and New Orleans to Boston on the Lake Shore Limited®, City of New Orleans®, Crescent®, and Northeast Regional® trains
- 7 nights' hotel accommodations; 3 nights' onboard Amtrak
- 2 meals included (1 dinner, 1 brunch*), *Dinner at a popular restaurant substituted when brunch in New Orleans is unavailable.
Questions travellers ask
- Is rail travel included?
- Yes, roundtrip Amtrak Coach travel from Boston to Chicago, Chicago to Memphis, Memphis to New Orleans, and New Orleans back to Boston.
- Which trains will I ride?
- The Lake Shore Limited, City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Northeast Regional, all in Coach class.
- Is there overnight train travel?
- Yes, three nights onboard Amtrak across the round trip: Boston to Chicago, Chicago to Memphis, and New Orleans back to Boston.
- What hotels are included?
- The Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel, in Chicago; The Peabody Memphis; and Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.
- How many meals are included?
- Two: one dinner in Chicago and one jazz brunch in New Orleans.
- Is it guided or independent?
- It is an independent rail vacation with included city tours: a hop-on, hop-off Chicago tour, a narrated Memphis tour with Graceland admission, and a New Orleans sightseeing tour.
